Volunteer encouragers

A Department of Health team formed a rota to volunteer alongside isolated people at a community centre in Westminster

The Regional Public Health Group- London (RPHG-L) at Department of Health were looking for a way to engage with the local community in relation to addressing health and social care issues. Although wanting to volunteer as a team, they also wanted to build relationships and maintain ongoing engagement. To achieve this, Time and Talents linked the team with E.T.A.T, a unique local community project that supports vulnerable and isolated people through encouraging them in arts and discussions. E.T.A.T were looking for volunteers to be ‘Encouragers’ to the ‘Friends’ (service users) in creative activities.
The Department of Health team agreed to run weekly art club sessions, on a rota basis - which requires only one or two of the team on each occasion. The role of the volunteers is to encourage ‘Friends’ (service users) with arts and crafts activities and assist with everything from making tea to befriending. The ethos behind ETAT is that making people feel comfortable boosts their confidence to try new activities and take up hobbies.
In addition to the regular running of the art club the volunteers are going beyond their original remit, for example, helping to create a Christmas songbook. The service users told them what songs they want and the volunteers took this information away and put the song book together, delivering it in time for a Carol Concert in December.
The volunteers are also working with the director and manager of E.T.A.T to set up the office PC, create a database and establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for reporting to funders. They have also helped staff with learning technical skills such as with filming, playing the guitar and have designed posters to market an exhibition organised for E.T.A.T ‘Friends’ (service users).

Personal satisfaction of staff through fulfilling community engagement
Staff development of soft, transferable skills
Relationships & experiences that inform policy development in day to day work
A weekly arts & crafts / social session for service users, run by the volunteers
Support with one-off service-user initiated projects
Organisational support: marketing, data-gathering / reporting and IT skill sharing

About the DH ESV Policy
The Department of Health's commitment to promoting employee volunteering stems from a strategy for sustainable development and sees volunteering as contributing to core skills like leadership, project management, creativity, problem solving and communication. Volunteering also supports the DH's equality and diversity agenda by enabling staff to work directly with disadvantaged groups in the community. Staff can volunteer during paid leave for up to five days a year in health and social care related activities, or one day for other activities.

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"A team rota means maximising 40 individual volunteer hours so that in total, between us, we make 140 visits to engage with isolated people. With our work at DH focused on policy development in public health issues such as well-being and inequality,, these visits give us real opportunities to see what's going on beyond the PDF document" Volunteer team leader, Department of Health

DH volunteers with E.T.A.T friends (services users)

"The group of encouragers from the department of health bring with them skills which have enabled E.T.A.T to offer a wider range of activities, and the commitment from all who have come along has been amazing… But most of all they bring enthusiasm and humour."

A snowman doll created by service users during an arts and crafts activity

(Author: )

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